I Am a Pirate
by Inutori
Summary: AU Inuyasha WAS engaged to the Lady Kagome, but when pirates show up, claiming to have kidnapped his fiance, he sets out in pursuit, only to be captured himself. -ON HOLD-
1. I Pillage I Plunder

**Inutori:** Hello all ye scurvy dogs!  Another fic coming at you from Inutori!  If this is the first story of mine that you've read, well, you're missing out, but if you've read some of my other works, you probably know how bad it is and might want to close out of this right now…JUST KIDDING!

**Inuyasha:** You know, these opening thingies DO have a purpose.

**Inutori:** I'm getting to that!  Quit you're whining!

**Inuyasha:** I'm not whining!

**Inutori:** I beg to differ.

**Inuyasha:** Keh, just tell them already.

**Inutori:** …

**Inuyasha:** Before I sick Souta on you…

**Inutori:** You know, in one of my stories, Souta is Inutori's (the character, not me) boyfriend.

**Inuyasha:** Just say it!  It can't be that hard!

**Inutori:** Fine!  I give up!  I don't own Inuyasha or the cast of the said crew, so go read the story and leave me alone!

Chapter 1

I Pillage and Plunder

It was a time of pirates and pillaging.  The countries were in a state of unrest and the government of most prominent country around was corrupt.  Kings dictated their countries and were cruel to the commoners; sparing no mercy for those who couldn't "pay up."

A pirating ship called the Shikon no Tama dominated the seas, capturing government transports and killing high-ranking officials.  They stole treasures of kings and of other noblemen, angering the upperclassmen tremendously.  The bounty for the captain of the Shikon no Tama, Kouga Ookami, was well over ten million dollars, and there was another million dollars promised for the heads of any one of the crew that sailed the dreadful ship.

The prince of Youkai kingdom, Inuyasha, was to be married that day to the lady Kagome.  It was an arranged marriage set up by the king and his good friend, Lord Higurashi.  

People throughout the castle feared an attack from the pirates during the ceremonies, and extra precaution was being taken to avoid any disruptions in the proceedings.  

Inuyasha buttoned up his vest and looked at himself in the mirror.  He had never before met this "Kagome," but his father told him that she was a rose among the thorns.  The arrogant prince snorted.  She was probably more disturbing looking than a pirate; and that said something.

A tapping sounded from his door and he let out a growl.  "What do you freakin' people want now?"  He buttoned his cuffs and turned to glare at the unopened door.  Why did he have to marry some complete stranger?  This was his father's fault.  If he had his way he'd be out chasing the Shikon no Tama for kicks; and he'd probably catch them, too.  Inuyasha just knew he would.

"Your majesty, it is time for the wedding."  A soft voice came from out in the hall, causing Inuyasha's growl to increase in ferocity.

"I'm coming, just hold you horses, will ya?"  He looked over himself again in the mirror before strutting over to the door and banging it open just for the sake of it.  If he were lucky it would hit the servant and knock 'em out cold.

Inuyasha made it to the chapel in no time flat, having lived in the castle all of his life and knowing all of the secret passages around this place.  He got into position by the altar and waited for the procession to begin.

Music began and the people participating in the wedding started to file in.  The bridesmaids appeared, and soon after a young woman clad entirely in white slowly made her way down the aisle.  A veil obstructed Inuyasha's view of her face, so he couldn't entirely tell if she really was an ugly wench.

The mystical tune died as the maiden stopped next to the prince in front of the altar.  A handsome young priest with black hair pulled back in a ponytail began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to unite these two…"

Inuyasha zoned the holy man out as he began imagining himself fighting a heroic battle with Captain Ookami and coming out the victor by a wide margin.  He had played it out so many times before that Inuyasha knew exactly how he would beat the idiotic pirate that dared to cross his path and challenge his rule.  It would be an epic battle testing one another's sword techniques all around the two ships joined by a plank and the ropes of his men.  Eventually Inuyasha would stab the criminal through the heart and watch as he collapsed slowly to the ground, taking in his last breaths…

"Well, prince Inuyasha?  Do you?"  It seemed that whatever the monk had asked him required and answer, so Inuyasha responded without thinking.

"Yes, yes, of course I do."  But now he listened halfway to what the monk was saying.  After all, he didn't really want to humiliate himself.

"And do you, Lady Kagome Higurashi, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in richness or poor, till death do you part?"

Inuyasha looked at the veiled maiden before him.  Somehow, without realizing it, he was holding her hands in his own in the typical fashion that occurs at weddings.  Weird.

"No."

His eyes widened slightly and he looked to the priest, but the young man seemed to have been expecting this.

The king stood up from his throne and glared menacingly at the girl.  "And why not, Lady Kagome?  Is there something wrong with my son?"

"Yes, there is."

"And what might that be?  Hmm?"  The king sneered at the lady of court standing before him in a wedding gown.

She seemed to hesitate only a moment before responding to the king.  "For starters, he is a pig-brained, self-centered, arrogant, egotistic jerk, and secondly, I'm not Lady Kagome."  Inuyasha raged with anger at all of the insults being thrown at him from what he thought earlier was a fine lady.  As fine as the dirt he walked on, that is.

"WHAT?!  IF YOU'RE NOT LADY KAGOME, THEN WHO IN TARNATION ARE YOU?!"  King Inutaisho looked like he was about to explode; his face was red with fury and it looked like steam was coming out of his ears.

"I, your majesty," the girl spoke his title in a very mocking tone, "am Kikyou Alarashi, the healer for any wounded aboard the Shikon no Tama."  She curtsied proudly for the king as a look of shock and horror spread over every face in the room.  Except a few that Inuyasha noted.

"Where's the wench I'm supposed to marry then?"  Inuyasha look angrily at the girl called Kikyou.  So maybe he hadn't wanted to get hitched to the crone that his dad had set him up with, but no one interrupted HIS wedding.

"Oh, don't worry about her.  She's safely aboard the ship being looked after by Ookami."  Kikyou smiled again at all of them in a maniacal way.  "I'll be on my way now."

"SIEZE HER!!"  The king waved a finger angrily at the girl that declared she was a pirate.  Guards sprang at her from every direction and Inuyasha just stood there and watched as the girl in a hoop skirted wedding dress punched and kicked at the offending men.  At some point she managed to confiscate one of the soldiers swords and began to swing it with ease at her attackers.

Inuyasha didn't really even notice as members of the congregation jumped up and pulled out knives and daggers and began to attack the armored sentries with a vengeance.  One of those fighting was the priest that was saying the vows.  What grabbed Inuyasha's attention about that fact was that the monk was helping the pirate girl and not the guards.  

A bright pink light filled the room and blinded everyone in an instant.  All of the noises of fighting stopped as soldiers fell to the ground unconscious.  Someone's deep voice filled the room as the guards gasped then fell silent.

"Kouga Ookami has struck again!"  The man's voice rang in Inuyasha's ears as he tried to memorize that voice; a voice that he would never forget as long as he lived.  

The light disappeared and Inuyasha saw orbs in his vision that usually appear after looking at a bright light too long.  He looked around him, and to his horror, saw all of the soldiers that were fighting dead.  Every one of them had been decapitated.  Marching out of the room was the first thing he did to prevent himself from barfing at the sight in the chapel.

'These pirates…have no mercy…'

~

**Inutori:** *Singing 'I am a Pirate'* 

**Kikyou:** Why did I have to say no to Inuyasha?  I would gladly have accepted and become his queen.

**Inutori:** Because you're a pirate and he's the prince of the corrupt country you hate.

**Kikyou:** …

**Inuyasha:** Kikyou! I never knew you had it in you!

**Kikyou:** Had what in me? *voice is cold growl*

**Inuyasha:** All of those insults.  Now, did you make them up on the spot or did you have to think about them before hand?

**Kikyou:** ….

**Inutori:** Hehe.  Shut up Inuyasha.  *looks at readers and sees only one in audience* Oh dear, are you the only one?  Any way, you better review if you want more.  Till next chapter, JA!


	2. I Hear the Loud Thunder

**Inutori:** Ok, I don't own Inuyasha or any members of the said cast, nor do I own the Shikon no Tama.

**Inuyasha:** You're a weirdo.

**Inutori:** I know this story is in third person, but I was wondering if you guys want it all in Inuyasha's shoes or if you want to see it from other character's perspectives as well.  If no one says otherwise, it will remain from Inuyasha's viewpoint and you'll be left to know only what Inuyasha knows.

**Inuyasha:** What's wrong with that?

**Inutori:** Nothing, nothing at all…*looks to reader*…now you need to go read the chapter…laterz! 

Chapter 2

I Hear the Loud Thunder

Inuyasha let the cool sea breeze circulate through his thick hair as he listened to the shrill cries of surrounding seagulls.  The bay was fairly calm, and the tide was still in.  As soon as the tide began to fall back, their ship would set sail.  It had been only three days since the incident at what was the prince's disaster of a wedding, and Inuyasha was still fuming with anger over the insult that the matter had dealt to him.

Prince Inuyasha, along with army officials and other men that would be helpful, were planning to hunt down the Shikon no Tama.  Of course, Inuyasha was excited by this prospect and didn't want to miss his chance to kill Captain Ookami.  So by no means was the young prince going to be left behind.  His father was strongly against his going, but Inuyasha had presented his arguments and had won against the king b a landslide.

A trumpet sounded, signaling that it was time to leave.  Men all around the ship began hustling around, tying ropes down and untying others that needed it.  A man by the helm yelled out orders for the crewmen to obey and Inuyasha wasn't sure what to do with himself. 

He resolved this issue by retreating to his quarters where he knew he wouldn't be in any one's way; and he couldn't be asked to do any menial labor that was suited for peasants.  

Sailing went smoothly and the weather was working with them to help them reach their destination; and that was whereever the Shikon no Tama was.  The captain was in a jovial mood given the circumstances and nothing seemed to be able to go better for them.

At first, Inuyasha was feeling a little queasy from the tossing of the boat, but he got over it soon enough and gained his sea legs at the same time.  Within the first week or two of sailing, Inuyasha looked like a born sailor.

Of course, he wouldn't stand to be anything but the center of attention, so he constantly gallivanted around deck to show off to the struggling officers how well he was able to adapt.  Some grumbled about him doing so before letting out the contents of their stomachs into the sea, but others were impressed with their young prince.

Without warning, the ship sailed into a heavy fog that prevented anyone from seeing more than three feet in front of him.  In the distance, they all could hear the loud bang of cannons and the screams of men and women, obviously hit by the cannonballs being fired.

Inuyasha spotted debris floating by in the water and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva in nervousness.  What exactly had he gotten himself into?

Everything went silent as the ship emerged from the thick cloud and everyone on deck saw the scene up ahead.  A large merchant ship was sinking into the depths of the ocean and another ship was sailing away.  What stuck out to Inuyasha was the pirating flag tied to the top of the main mast of the ship that was still intact.  

The crew went into action and the sails unfurled and were tied down.

"Hey, captain!"  Inuyasha turned around at the sound of a gruff voice.  The bulky man was holding the arm of a young maiden with black hair tied back into a low ponytail.  She was attempting to get away from him but his strength, as an experienced sailor didn't permit it.  "We have a stowaway!"  

~

**Inutori:** Doop doop, doobiedoop…And since only a few people reviewed, this chapter is only a page long.

**Inuyasha:** That was shorter than your usual shortnesses.

**Inutori:** I know, and it didn't take very long to write, either.  ^_^

**Inuyasha:** Why are you so happy?

**Inutori:** Because now I have an organized way of getting chapters up and I'll know how long they should be ^ v ^

**Inuyasha:** You're crazy.

**Inutori:** I know!

**Inuyasha:** These commentaries are going to be longer than the story.

**Inutori:** So what?  Now it's time for my few review responses…

To…

**lostdreams**: thanks, I like the beginning as well.

**Divine-Heart**: I plan on it!

Until next chapter, JA!


	3. The Beat of the Drum

**Inutori:** Hey everyone, Inutori here: bringing you another chapter.  But before you go read the story, there are a few things I'd like to discuss.

**Inuyasha:** The first isn't really up for discussion, since it's telling you that the wench don't own the Inuyasha cast.

**Inutori:** But the second is a question I'd like ya'll to answer in yer reviews.  Should I keep Inutori as my penname or should I change it to Torineko so I get rid of some confusion between one of my original characters and me in some of my other fics?

**Kagome:** If you could just leave your answer in a review, that'd be great!

**Inutori:** Even if you don't want to say whether I should change my name or not review so I know if you like this story.  OK, NOW you have my permission to go read the story…

Chapter 3

The Beat of the Drum

Inuyasha looked curiously at the young maiden clad in men's clothing.  Her straight black hair fell down to just above her waist and there was a defiant look in her eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I am Tajiya Sango, a lady-in-waiting of Kagome-sama."  The girl looked up at him with her chin high in the air as Inuyasha gave her a piercing glare.

"Then what the-"  
  


"Mikotu Inuyasha!  The pirate ship has turned around and is headed straight for us!"  The captain was looking down at the prince in alarm as he tried to veer the ship to starboard to avoid a head on with the other vessel.

Inuyasha shot a death glare at the stowaway before bounding up to join the captain.  "I'll deal with you later."  He watched in awed horror as the pirate ship came closer and closer.  Soon they were side by side and the pirates began flowing over onto the government vessel.

There were about thirty pirates aboard the ship before Inuyasha recollected his thoughts and managed to draw his Tetsusaiga.  He watched as his fellow men were run through with swords and collapsed to the deck of the ship covered in their own blood.

A surge of anger ran through him as he watched another man fall to his death.  Looking around, he saw the stowaway being held by the forearm by a petite pirate.  The feeling of anger pumped through his veins even stronger at the thought of what the pirates would do to the woman and his sword transformed into the silver fang of his father.

Inuyasha leapt down, charging straight for the seafaring thief that clutched the lady-in-waiting.  The pirate glanced up at him at the last possible moment and drew his sword to counter Inuyasha's blow.  Amazingly, it worked, and Inuyasha was stopped dead in his tracks.  This pirate held his sword with one hand yet he was still able to block the hanyou's attack.

The prince glanced around to see pirates closing in on him from all sides, swords and other various weapons ready to go in for the kill.  Just before they pounced, the first pirate Inuyasha had attempted to attack barked out an order.

"Wait, this one's the prince.  Don't kill him just yet, we'll get a ransom for him first."

Inuyasha looked back at the black haired pirate just before getting hit on the pressure point on his neck, knocking him out cold.

The prince furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he slowly came to after being unconscious.  Cold shackles held his hands together and kept him from attacking people easily while his feet remained loose.  That would be a big mistake on the pirates' part.

Darkness surrounded him, and he could smell the wet salt of the ocean all around him.  A light penetrated the dark room as a door at the top of some stairs creaked open.  Inuyasha glared up at the figure that lightly strutted down the stairs.

"So you're the hanyou prince that Kikyou almost married."  The man smiled at him smugly and looked him in the eyes.

Inuyasha recognized that voice.  That was Ookami's voice.  The hanyou emitted a low growl from his throat, glaring at the man that wore his black hair in a high ponytail.  "I demand the release of me and Lady Kagome."

"You're not really in a position to be making demands."  Kouga Ookami smirked arrogantly at Inuyasha.  "And if it weren't for the fact that the Captain told me not to kill you, I'd run you through right now just to prove my claim on your fiancé." 

"What are you talking about?  You ARE Captain Ookami, are you not?"  Inuyasha tried to lean forward to get into the pirate's face, but the chains attached to his shackles prevented that.

"Ah, a typical land lover, thinking that I, Kouga Ookami is Captain of the Shikon no Tama."  Kouga sneered at Inuyasha, ticking a finger as if to tell the prince off.

Inuyasha merely blinked at Kouga.

"I am merely first mate.  The Captain hardly ever goes ashore to pillage and plunder.  You should be honored that Captain decided to come when we ruined your little wedding."

Silence ensued as Inuyasha blinked at Kouga through the dim light, trying to digest all of the information he had just been fed.  "Then if you're not the captain…who is?"

"Oh, Captain will come to see you.  Other than her, I'm the only other one you'll be seeing."  Kouga smiled triumphantly at Inuyasha and turned to walk away.

"Her?"

The proclaimed first mate didn't answer as he ascended the stairs back onto the deck.  Another person passed him descending the stairs towards Inuyasha and the prince got the impression that this petite pirate was the captain.

The person in front of him was the one who had been holding the lady-in-waiting before.  Inuyasha had mistaken her for a guy assuming that all pirates were male, but apparently he had assumed wrong.  This pirate standing in front of him was a girl, just wearing men's clothing.

She had long black hair that fell a few inches past her waist that was tied back in a low ponytail.  A red bandana was tied on to her head to keep down any loose strands.  There was a large scar covering her left cheek and her bangs hung low over her eyes.  The clothes she wore fit extremely loose and her sword's handle and sheath were made out of material that appeared to be gold.

"So, Inuyasha-sama," she bit out the title like it were a poisonous venom, "I hear that you thought you could beat me no problem."  She looked up and the most piercing blue eyes one could ever imagine met Inuyasha's golden orbs.  This girl looked like someone he had seen before; she looked like the pirate Kikyou.

~

**Inutori:** And…yeah…don't have much to say, so I won't hold you up.  Review for me and I'll update ASAP!  Don't forget to give you input on my penname!  Ja!]


	4. Makes my Heart Sing Out

A/N  Why isn't Inuyasha the pirate?  Well, for starters, that has been done a million times over and I wanted to go for something…different.  And I don't own Inuyasha, despite my crazy ramblings so don't sue me.

Chapter 4

Makes my Heart Sing Out

Inuyasha looked down at the captain of the Shikon no Tama.  Her flaring eyes entranced him and he wasn't able to escape from their grasp, keeping his gaze from taking in the rest of her features.  "You'll find that I'm not as easy to beat as I may look.  Just because I'm a woman does not make me weaker than you, got that?"

All he could do was silently nod without breaking the eye contact between them.  Her glare seemed to become more menacing as they stood there in silence.  She obviously was waiting for his answer to be spoken verbally.  "Keh."

"And I expect you to pull your weight around here if you want to eat.  I will not have any free-loading prisoners aboard this ship."

Inuyasha blinked at her.  He was a prince; she couldn't possibly expect him to do the work of slaves.  "No chance, wench."  His confidence was quickly returning as he sized up the pirate captain.

"You seem to be forgetting who is above who here, Mikotu Inuyasha."  Her blue eyes flashed with unseen hatred and she pulled something out from her shirt.  "This is for you."  What she held up was a beaded necklace with a few objects stringed to it that appeared to be fangs.  The rest were just normal spheres of black.  She began a little chant and the necklace shone bright blue before transferring piece by piece to reside on Inuyasha's neck.  Inuyasha looked at the necklace with confusion, something about it didn't feel quite right.

As a royal, he had never been insulted by anyone, but this girl seemed to think that she was better than him.  He listened as the girl took in a deep breath.  "Osuwari."  A jolt overtook his entire body and he heard the resounding crack of the chains that held him bound as he went crashing into the wooden floor.

"What the-"

"Osuwari." 

Inuyasha once again found his face implanted into the floor of the Shikon no Tama.  He jerked to a sitting position and began attempting to remove the blasted jewelry.  "Gah!"  The weight of the beads was too much for the hanyou prince and he soon gave up trying to pull them over his head.  Looking up at the female pirate, he saw her smug expression and he immediately began to scowl.  "Wench, what did you do to me?"

"I've merely placed a subduing spell on you, hime."  The captain smiled brightly at Inuyasha as the insulting words sunk in.  She had the nerve to call him a princess…she would pay with her life.  Bowing slightly, the captain turned to walk back up the dark flight of stairs.  "I expect you on deck in five minutes.  I'll inform you of your task then."  With that she walked briskly up the stairs and out of sight.

His fists clenched and unclenched as he sat brooding over what punishments he could bestow upon the pirate captain.  He needed his Tetsusaiga, and as soon as he had it back this entire crew would be history.

Standing up, Inuyasha looked at the shackles still on his wrists in question.  Couldn't these things be used as weapons?  Oh well, pirates were stupid.  He made his way silently up the stairs and onto the deck.  The sun blinded him for a few minutes as he tried to adjust to the bright light, but soon enough he was surrounded by a bunch of growling pirates, all with their weapons pointing at him.

"ENOUGH!"

Inuyasha looked up and squinted into the sunlight as the captain came down a set of stairs and the crew parted like the Red Sea for her.  She wasn't too much shorter than Inuyasha, but she held herself differently, and spoke like a true seafaring man.

"I gave the prisoner orders to come up on deck."

"But Captain-"

"No buts."  She turned to glare at whomever had spoken.  "I have the prisoner under complete control.  Allow me to demonstrate.  Osuwari."  Inuyasha faced planted onto the deck and listened to all of the jeers the pirates gave him.  There were many men cheering at their captain's genius, while others were too stunned for words.  "As you see, you will have no qualms with the captive."  The captain turned to look directly at Inuyasha, who was now sprawled on the deck.  "I expect you to carry all of the loot from our last raid down to the treasury before you scrub this boat from top to bottom."

Inuyasha stared at the captain before the words sunk in.  Once the full meaning was absorbed by Inuyasha's dense mind, he began to growl angrily at everyone aboard the ship.  It seemed that all of the crew was afraid of him and took a few steps back, but the captain stood her ground.

"I demand to see Lady Higurashi."  His piercing gold eyes did their best to burn the captain's skin and make her cower, but she showed no sign of wavering.

"Perhaps, after you have finished your chores, I will allow you to see that ugly girl…but until then, GET TO WORK!"  The captain pointed to a large stack of chests and barrels by the port side of the ship.

"Keh, I don't even know where you want the stuff put, woman."  His triangular ears twitched as he listened to the captain's breathing increase sharply with her anger.

"Shippou, show the prisoner where he is to put our earnings.  But don't help him carry anything.  When he is done with that, get him a mop and bucket of soapy water to wash the deck.  If he causes any trouble or hurts you in any way, call for me."  At that the captain turned and walked away, leaving Inuyasha standing by a very small boy with auburn hair tied back in a ponytail.

The boy looked up at him curiously before jumping over to the pile of loot where he stood proudly and waited for Inuyasha to follow.  Inuyasha began growling deep in his throat as he picked up a heavy barrel and trailed after the energetic pintsized kid.

After about an hour, all of the goods were stowed below deck and Shippou retrieved a mop for the prince.

"The is no way I'm doing a woman's job."  Inuyasha pushed the mop away towards the small boy with the bushy tail.  Another pirate was leaning against the rail of the ship nearby watching with mild amusement.

"If you don't I'll call okaa-san."  The boy shoved the mop back at him, effectively making Inuyasha take a step backwards.

Inuyasha grabbed the mop in his anger and brought it down on the kitsune demon's head.  "You can't make me do a thing.  I am a youkai of royal blood."  Shippou was wailing in pain by this point, not listening to Inuyasha's monologue.

"No, you're a _hanyou_ of royal blood, there's a difference."  The pirate that had been leaning against the rail stood up and walked towards Inuyasha.  Violet eyes met amber ones as the man approached, and Inuyasha quickly recognized the man as the monk from his wedding.  So he shot daggers at the said pirate with a glare that could char the devil himself.

A growl so loud it could be heard all over the ship emitted from his throat as Inuyasha glared at the pirate who had just insulted him.  "How dare you…you have no right to say that…"

"Osuwari."  Inuyasha plummeted to the ground as the captain walked up behind him, apparently alerted to the raucous by Shippou's constant wailing.  She immediately went to the child's side and gathered him in her arms and picked him up, making sure to glare at Inuyasha before going back to her quarters.

Once the captain was gone again from her brief appearance, the pirate who had just so recently insulted Inuyasha looked down at the prince that was kissing wood.  "The name is Miroku, if ever you need something, just ask, I may be able to help as a close friend of the captain."

"MIROKU-SAMA, WHERE IS SANGO?!?" 

~

A/N  I'll end it there for my own personal benefit, but I hope you enjoyed…If you have any questions, just ask.  If the answer doesn't involve giving away the plot, then I may tell you, but if it gives away some of the plot I won't answer, so don't be offended.  Review, and get me up to 20 reviews, onegai?  Anyways, ja!


	5. I Rob and I Scandal

**Inutori:** Inutori wants reviews badly, so you must all read this and comment.  I command you using my Jedi mind powers. 

**Kagome:** You don't have Jedi mind powers.

**Inuyasha:** What's a Jedi?

**Sango:** Is it some sort of mind reading demon?

**Miroku:** Or perhaps an ancient spell used by holy women of the East.

**Inutori:** Are you calling me a witch?

**Miroku:** NO!  Of course not Inutori, I was merely saying-

**Sango:** Shut up, houshi-sama, you're merely digging your grave deeper.

**Inuyasha:** Inutori doesn't own us, so don't sue.

**Inutori:** *with tears in her eyes* Why do you always have to remind me of that little fact?  For once I'd like to forget it and believe that you truly belonged to me and only me.

Chapter 5

I Rob and I Scandal

The man called Miroku visibly flinched as the captain came storming back without the small kitsune.  She stopped just in front of Miroku with a glare in her eyes that could frighten even the devil himself.  "If you've laid so much as one finger on that girl, I'll personally tear you limb from limb and throw the pieces overboard."

"C-captain, why ever do you think that I, a humble priest, would do anything displeasing to such a fine lady?"  The man dressed in purple cloth stepped back from the female pirate in obvious fear and looked around for any escape route.

"Because I know you, Houshi.  Now where is Sango?  I left her in my quarters and she's gone."  The captain glanced briefly at Inuyasha before turning her full attention back to Miroku.

"Tama, I merely relocated her to a more suitable cabin."

"YOU PERV!"  The ebony-haired captain punched Miroku in the jaw and went through a door that most likely led to the crew's cabins.

"So, what cabin was more 'suitable'?"  Inuyasha still hadn't stood up and was sprawled on the ground looking up at Miroku with a bemused expression.  His head was perched in his hands and he looked perfectly relaxed.

"Why, my cabin, of course!"

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at the pirate standing only a few feet away from him and watched as the man sighed lightly.  "So what are you on this ship?"

"Second mate and the new doctor, since Kikyou didn't want to come back aboard.  Said something about starting over with a clean slate.  Who knows what she's doing now."  Miroku shrugged and looked down at Inuyasha.

"Kikyou, as in the pirate I almost married?"  

"She would have married you, too, had it not been for the fact that she saw all of the pirates attending.  She was probably just afraid of the real Kagome's wrath had she stolen the poor girl's title and forced her into marrying such a stuck up hanyou."  Miroku smiled smugly at Inuyasha.  "Or maybe she was afraid that Lady Kagome would escape and kill her for stealing her betrothed while she was being held captive."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet, not failing to smell the approach of the wimpy wolf that called himself first mate.  

"Oi, dog breath, Tama says you want to see my woman tonight.  You better not touch her."

Inuyasha turned around dully and looked at the man who had spoken to him.  "You again?  Miss Higurashi is MY fiancé, and I can touch her anywhere I like."

Kouga Ookami puffed out his chest in indignation.  "Why, if Tama lets her guard down once, you're overboard with a dagger in your chest.  Just remember I'm sparing you only to obey my captain."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."  Inuyasha turned to look around the deck, catching the eyes of the captain looking at them from the safety of the inside of the ship.  So she wasn't leaving him out of her sight.  Either she didn't trust him, the crew, or perhaps even both.

The first mate of the ship huffed and left Miroku and Inuyasha alone again.  "You know, matey, say that where Tama can hear you and she may deck you.  I don't know why, but she's real touchy when it comes to the affairs of the upper-class."  Miroku began to walk away from Inuyasha as well, leaving the prince alone on the deck.  The sun was beginning to sink into the sea behind him and Inuyasha could pick up the sounds of the crew singing in a drunken state below deck.

"What am I supposed to do now?"

"Eat dinner, I suppose."  A gentle, soothing voice carried to Inuyasha's ears and he jerked around to come face to face with a girl he could have sworn was Kikyou.  Her smooth skin looked perfect and she was covered from neck to ankle with a turquoise gown that looked plain, yet beautiful.

"Wh-who are you?"  Inuyasha looked the young girl up and down, bewildered by her presence.

"The captain sent me up here to meet with another captive, perhaps you could direct me to him?"  She looked sweetly at him with her charming blue eyes reflecting the colors of the setting sun.

"I-I am a captive."  His tongue was tied in impossible knots.  This had never happened before, so why now?

"Really?  I'm sorry, I mistook you for one of the crew; you'd fit right in.  I'm Lady Kagome Higurashi, and you might be?"  She curtsied slightly to him with the apparent grace of a lady of high class.

He took a slight bow himself and took the maiden's small hand.  "Mikotu of Youkai, Inuyasha Jidai.  It's a pleasure to meet you finally."

"Inuyasha-sama?"  She looked at him curiously, her innocence radiating off of her.  "I always pictured my future husband to be a round-bellied pig that didn't care about others, but once again I am proven wrong.  What have you done to manage to get yourself on this ship?"

Inuyasha forced a smile for the raven-haired beauty in front of him.  Her hair was done up in tight curls and only a few fell forward to frame her face.  The wind gently played with her hair and Inuyasha caught the entrancing scent of lavender coming from her.  "I thought I could rescue you from the pirates."

"That is very noble of you.  It is truly an honor to be engaged to a noble such as you."  She smiled at him again and lifted her hand to touch Inuyasha's fist.  "Come, let's have dinner."

The hanyou followed Kagome into a well-decorated chamber with a table of food set out in the center.  For Inuyasha, his act of being a gentleman was wearing thin and he didn't know how much more of this he could take.  'First impressions are the key, don't blow this.'  He looked warily at the lady standing beside him.  She was beautiful; he'd give her that.  "So, how have the pirates been treating you?"

"With respect, as they should any lady."

Inuyasha refrained from snorting; oh how hard keeping up this act was going to be.  He was being treated like a worm while the lady hostage of the voyage was probably being treated like royalty.  "Why did they kidnap you anyway?"

"The food's getting cold, we probably should eat."  She was avoiding his eyes as they both sat down on opposite sides of the small table.  "You shouldn't have come after me."

The prince looked up, but Kagome was looking down at her plate and picking lightly at her food with her fork.   "Why not?  It is my duty."

"You're only going to get yourself killed, most of the pirates aboard are cold-blooded murderers that would go to any length to shed royal blood."  She still wasn't looking up at him and Inuyasha began to get suspicious as to why she would do that.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the reason as to why his betrothed would be saying the things she did.  "Woman, what are you hiding from me?"  Well, his gentleman act just flew out the porthole with that sentence, and there was no taking his words back now.

Kagome raised her head and looked directly into Inuyasha's amber eyes.  "Does it matter what I hide from you?  You have no business prying into my life!  I might as well tell Kouga-kun that he can tear you apart for all I care!"  She stood up from the table, having not eaten any of the food set out.  

Just as she was about to storm out of the room, Inuyasha grabbed her wrist, causing her to wheel around in surprise.  He looked away from her and at the floor, finding it suddenly very interesting.  "Will you-I mean-could you-would it be…suitable for you to…join me tomorrow for dinner as well?"

The ebony-haired woman looked down at Inuyasha with an unreadable expression.  "I will discuss it with the captain tomorrow.  Until then, goodbye, Inuyasha-sama."

He barely noticed it, but the title was bit out with a little too much venom than was normal for a lady of her social standing.

Before he was really given the chance to ponder those thoughts, Miroku was escorting Inuyasha out of the room towards what would most likely be his sleeping quarters.

*(And for everyone's benefit, I'm doing one small section out of Sango's view.  Don't expect this to happen too often though…

This section starts from when Sango is captured)*

After being dragged aboard the pirate ship rather harshly, Sango was led to the captain's quarters, where her slender captive threw her onto the bed rather unceremoniously.

"Sango, what do you think you were doing on that ship!"

Looking up wearily, Sango saw piercing blue eyes looking at her from halfway across the room.  Still a bit shaken from what she had witnessed only minutes earlier, it was difficult for the lady-in-waiting to focus on the other occupant of the room.  "Who…are you?"  She gathered up a bit of courage and stood up to face the pirate.  "And how do you know who I am?!"

As the pirate came into focus, Sango saw the petite face and long black hair tied back in a low ponytail.  The pirate let out a laugh: a very feminine laugh.  "Sango, after being confidants for seven years, you can't recognize me?"

That voice, Sango did recognize it.  But it couldn't be.  She was supposed to be…

"Ka-Kagome?"

The pirate smiled brightly at her, showing off her straight teeth.  "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Y-you're a pirate?"  Sango looked disbelievingly at her close friend, not really wanting to believe that such a fine lady could actually be a villain.

Kagome smiled sheepishly at Sango.  "Yeah, kind of weird, ne?"

"Kind of weird?  That a little under exaggerated."  Sango looked away from Kagome dejectedly.

"Sango, I'm so sorry.  But it's in my blood."  Kagome took a step towards Sango before the girl put up a hand to stop the pirate's movements.

"So, you're a pirate…Kagome…"

"Gomen.  Sango, can you ever forgive me?"

Sango turned to Kagome with a look of anger on her face.  "NO!"

"Onegai, Sango-chan?"

"I can't forgive you this time Kagome.  You've gone to far-"

"But-"

"-to not let me come too." Sango took a deep breath.  "I'd make a better pirate than you and you know it.  How come you kept this from me?"

Kagome fell over comically, then quickly regained her composure.  "If what you want is to be a pirate, then it can be done.  Honestly, Sango-chan, you should have just said so in the first place."

Sango seemed off on her own little tangent by this point.  "Ha-ha.  Sango the pirate.  The mighty tajiya.  The undefeatable warrior.  None can stand in her path."

"Um…Sango-chan?"  Kagome tapped Sango's shoulder, causing the girl to whip around quickly.

"Oh, sorry!  That was really kind of freaky, huh?"

Kagome nodded her head vigorously at Sango, signifying the truth of her statement.

Sango smiled sheepishly at her close friend as she scratched the back of her neck.  "So…what did you do with Mikotu Inuyasha?"

Kagome's smile immediately turned into a scowl at Sango's words.  "Oh, him?  I had him put in the outer hull below the decks.  Don't need scum like him wandering around the ship."

"Kagome!  He's your betrothed!  What are you saying?!  Release him this instant!"  Sango had a frightened look on her face as she looked at the frowning female outlaw.

"No."  Kagome turned to look at the maps scattered across the desk in anger.  "As far as I'm concerned, he's as good as dead.  I'm going to send out a ransom for him, and after we get the money, he'll walk the plank with an anchor tied to his back."

Sango pinched the skin on the back of Kagome's neck, causing the girl to jump away quickly.  "Are you really that heartless?  The Kagome I know would at least give him a chance."

"Yeah, well the Kagome **I** know is the captain of the most renowned pirate ship and can't soften her heart to the likes of a spoiled baby."  Kagome glared at Sango with unfamiliar venom in her eyes that slightly scared the young handmaid.

"Kagome, at least let him out on deck.  I mean, what harm could that do?  We're in the middle of the ocean with no where for him to go."

"He could attack-"

"If that happens, you'll just have to stop him, ne?  You did it once, you can do it again."

"Fine, you win.  But if he so much as puts one hair out of line, he's back in the hull, understood?"

Sango nodded to acknowledge her dear friend, and with that, Kagome left the cabin.

A few hours past and Sango found herself curling up on the soft bed in the corner and drifting off to sleep, and when she awoke a couple hours later, it wasn't the captain's room she found herself in.

She sat stark still until Kagome came bursting through the door with a concerned look on her face.  Sango thought she heard Kagome mutter under her breath, "I'm going to kill that monk," but she could have been hearing things.

"Daijabu ka, Sango-chan?"  She seemed a bit out of breath, as if she had been in a major hurry up until that moment.

"Hai, daijabu."  Sango stood and looked around the room once more before following Kagome back to the captain's quarters.

When they were back in the confines of Kagome's cabin, the raven-haired pirate turned to Sango with a determined look on her face.  "Sango-chan, Inuyasha wants **ME**, I mean Lady Kagome, me, to see him tonight.  What should I do?"

"I think you should meet his request."  Sango stood calmly before Kagome in a way that said, 'Don't argue with me, you know you'll lose.'

"Then I need your help."

"Why?"  Sango tilted her head to the side and looked innocently at Kagome.

"Because I'm terrible at putting on makeup and if he sees this scar he'll be sure to recognize me.  He's not **that** dimwitted."  Kagome pointed to the jagged scar on her cheek in what seemed to be desperation as she spoke pleadingly to Sango.

"I guess I can help you…but only if you tell me everything when it's done."

~

**Inutori:** You alls better be happy, I made this chapter longer than normal.

**Inuyasha:** Yeah, but the scenes just being replayed from a different perspective is BOR~ING.

**Inutori:** You're just mad because doing that left you out of the picture.  And all of the readers should be satisfied.  I finally confirmed that yes, Kagome is the captain of the Shikon no Tama.

**Kagome:** Finally, I have a better roll than Inuyasha.

**Inuyasha:** What are you talking about, being a prince is so much better than being a pirate captain.

**Inutori & Kagome:** That's what you think.

**Inutori:** Anyways, I need to go feed my birds and you all could make me happy and review, but it's not required. (I don't do it for half the stories I read, unless they're really really good)


	6. And I Doubt You Can Handle

**Inutori:** Sorry it took so long to update this, I've been halfway banned from the internet by my dad so I can catch up on my homework.

**Inuyasha:** It's your fault for not doing it in the first place.

**Inutori:** No it's not.  I was sick!

**Sagi:** (a friend and fairly faithful reviewer of mine) Yeah right, you little fibber.

**Gem:** (my alternate personality) Don't be stupid.  Inutori is a trustworthy person, it is me you should be calling a deceitful person.

**Sagi: **Both you and Inutori are the same person, and you're both liars.

**Inutori:** I do not lie!  

**Sagi:** Then why do you go around telling people that you own Inuyasha?  Hmm?

**Gem:** Because I will in the near future.

**Sagi:** I wasn't talking to you, Germ.  I was talking to Inutori.

**Gem:** Like I care?  And the name is Gem, not Germ.

Chapter 6

And I Doubt You Can Handle

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably on the scratchy hammock he was given to sleep in.  There was no blanket or pillow, and he was really beginning to believe that he was going to catch a cold shortly.  His back was to the door as he listened to the hinges creak with the entrance of someone into his chambers.

The scent was definitely feminine, and there was a hint of lavender mixed into it: it was Lady Kagome.  He was just about to roll over when a soft blanket was draped over him and a pillow was inserted under his head after being lifted up slightly by her small hands.  So the woman was being kind to him, how quaint.  

If she had so much freedom on this boat, why couldn't she just tell the pirates to set her free or something?  Inuyasha gritted his teeth, regretting ever wanting to face the crew of the Shikon no Tama.

Tama.  That's what Miroku had called the captain.  But was that her real name, or an alias.  If so, what is her real name?  So many things about her confused him, and he couldn't think clearly with Kagome-sama's enticing scent still filling his lungs.

"Inuyasha, you should be thanking Sango-chan, she's my unwelcome conscious on this ship right now."  The woman's whisper startled and confused the hanyou prince, not really knowing what she was talking about.

After those few words, Kagome once again left the room, leaving Inuyasha in a much more comfortable state where he could relax and get some rest before tomorrow.

* 

"Two points to port, I want us to be flowing with the trade and not against it when that storm hits."  Captain Tama walked confidently down the stairs from the upper deck to the lower deck quickly, knowing that Ookami was listening intently to her orders.

Inuyasha was scrubbing the decks again, Shippou gnawing on the silver-haired demon's head in his pink-bubble form.  From the looks of things, the prince was just about ready to kill the kit, but was attempting to hold back.

She approached him without a moment's hesitation, catching Shippou when he transformed and leaped at her automatically.

But she did stop dead in her tracks about three feet away from the hanyou when he took a deep, curious breath through his nose and looked at her.

"What's wrong, kaa-chan?"  Shippou looked up at Kagome innocently, curious as to what would scare the captain so easily.

"I get it now."  That was all Inuyasha said before he looked away from her and went back to work scrubbing only one area of the deck with unnecessary force.

"You will eat dinner with the crew this evening, and you have cleaning duty afterward."  Tama, better known as Lady Kagome, spoke to Inuyasha in her demanding voice, not wanting to be questioned.

"Good, didn't want to have to eat near you again."  Inuyasha didn't look up at her, but went on scrubbing that one section of wood in his obvious anger.

"What's he babbling about, okaa-san?"

Kagome looked down at Shippou lovingly.  "Nothing, Shippou-chan.  Absolutely nothing."  There was a pause as Kagome looked for her words.  "A storms coming, I'd like you to go below deck before it hits so I don't have to worry about you blowing away, okay?"

"Hai."  Shippou jumped out of Kagome's arms and ran to the stairs leading to the lower decks.

"Can't hide much from you, can I?"  Kagome looked back at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Keh, a demon never misses anything."  Inuyasha didn't look back at her, but just continued scrubbing the floorboards in that one spot alone.

Kagome merely snorted quietly after his words and turned to return to the upper deck.  "Secure the sails!  We don't need them torn."

Men immediately acted on her words and soon the dirty white material was being tied up to the mast to protect it.  Inuyasha watched up out of the corner of his eye as he begrudgingly continued cleaning the deck.

The storm came without delay, and Inuyasha stayed on deck just to spite Kagome's order for him to go below deck.  She was getting soaked herself, staying by the helm to keep things in order.  It really looked like she was having a tough time up there.

A large wave washed over the boat and Inuyasha found himself gripping onto some nearby ropes just to stay aboard.  This wasn't the first water spilling over the deck, but it was certainly the strongest wave yet.

Through the rain, Inuyasha could make out only a few words, "captain," "overboard," and "drown."  In his head, Inuyasha realized what it must mean: Kagome had been flushed off of the deck by that last wave.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Inuyasha was jumping into the water himself, swimming as fast as he could to who knows where.  He had been rash in his decision to jump into the water, and now he was beginning to regret it; after all, he didn't even know where Kagome was.

After a few minutes of being tossed around by the storm, Inuyasha spotted what he thought was a part of the Shikon no Tama Captain's top.  He had long since lost sight of the pirate ship, so wasn't in any position to question whether to dive after the object that had caught his eye.

What found its way into his hand was the small wrist of an unconscious Kagome that looked like she was about to drown.  Her hair was plastered to her face and her mouth was parted slightly.  Inuyasha wrapped a strong arm around Kagome's chest to keep her afloat, and attempted to tread water in the tossing sea to keep himself and his fiancé alive.

~

**Gem:** Once again, sorry for the time it took to update, and I'm sorry about how short this chapter is.  Please forgive me.

**Inuyasha:** How can anyone forgive a slacker?

**Inutori:** Will you shut up, Inuyasha, you're giving me a headache!

**Sagi:** Inuyasha, where's Fluffy-chan?

**Gem:** Didn't you already steal his boa?  What do you want from him now?

**Sagi:** He's been stalking me to get it back, and I wanted to know if I was safe form him.

**Inuyasha:** Stupid wench, you ought to know that you can't best a dog-demon.

**Gem:** You can if you're the Grim Reaper.

**Sagi:** Or a fate!

**Gem & Sagi:** So mehg :p

**Inutori:** *gawking at other self & friend*  Yeah…well, hope to see all of the readers next chapter!  Ja!


	7. All That I'm Gonna Do To You

**Inutori:** I'm _finally_ back.  I know that it's been forever with this one and most of my previous readers have probably all lost interest in this by now.

**Sagi:** Am I included?

**Gem:** I don't know.  creepy face Are you?

**Sagi:** looks for something to hide behind Eeep!

**Inutori:** I don't own Inuyasha.  Did you know I almost said I don't own the story?  What?  I did almost say it…okay, fine, I almost typed it, and I did say it.

**Sagi:** You talk as you type.

**Inutori:** looking away Maybe.

Chapter 7

All That I'm Gonna Do to You

Inuyasha coughed, the water rushing out of his lungs and onto the sand beneath him.  He could feel the waves pushing him onto shore, and looked up slightly in a daze.

It took a few moments before he remembered what exactly had happened.  He had jumped into the water to save Kagome, and the last thing he remembered was them treading water.  What had happened since then?

Suddenly Inuyasha realized that Kagome wasn't anywhere in sight, so in a panic, he shot up and allowed his gaze to quickly take in his surroundings.

In the sand where the waves didn't reach, Inuyasha identified small footprints leading away from the shore.  So Kagome was here too.

He gathered his strength and trekked after the pirate captain, figuring his assistance would be needed.

When he finally did find Kagome, she was already cooking an iguana over a fire and sharpening a dagger on a small rock.  "Oh, look who decided to join the living."  The raven-haired girl barely glanced up at him before turning the iguana to cook on another side.

"Keh."  Inuyasha crossed his arms, looking away from the mocking girl.

"Great vocabulary you have there.  I must commend you."  A smile cracked on Kagome's lips, and she sheathed her dagger and stuffed it into her boot.

"Keh."

"You know, I thought a prince's terminology would be much more expansive than this, but I guess I was wrong.  Too bad."  Kagome added more wood to her fire, just taunting the prince with her words.

"Stop insulting me, wench!"

"I'm not poor."  Kagome stood up, glaring at Inuyasha.  "Not only am I an extremely successful pirate, I also come from a family of high and stature."  Her deep blue eyes seemed so menacing, and Inuyasha was forced to take a step backwards in hesitation.

"Keh, whatever, woman."  Inuyasha sat himself by the fire, eyeing the piece of meat hungrily.  

"Go catch your own meal, mate."  Kagome knifed the iguana and brought it to her mouth, blowing on it softly.

Inuyasha scoffed at the woman's rudeness.  Proper manners would give him the right to the food she caught since he was of royal blood.  The nerve she had…

"Quit glaring at me while I eat, will ya?"  Kagome snarled at him, apparently angry at him.

He realized he was growling and quickly ended the noise.  Then he stood up, abruptly leaving the small clearing by jumping into a nearby tree.

Inuyasha ripped off a piece of the dead monkey, angry with the pirate still.  He stuffed the raw meat into his mouth and chewed, glaring at the white clouds floating innocently in the sky.

The roost he had situated himself on was the edge of a cliff on the other side of the small island, overlooking the ocean.  Waves crashed against the rocks hundreds of feet below, and several birds took to diving through the air to catch fish off a little ways out to sea.

What had he done to get himself stranded on an island?  Oh yeah, risk his neck to try and save the female thief.  

With a sigh, Inuyasha stood up and looked back over his shoulder towards the luscious island.  "At least it's not a desert."  He shrugged and walked away from the cliff edge, taking another bite of the monkey after having calmed himself down.

His eyes widened and he looked down at the meat.  Something wasn't right.  He could taste it…or was monkey supposed to taste this way?  Inuyasha brushed it off as nothing and continued down the hill to where he had last seen Kagome.

For some unknown reason, along the way, he began to feel lightheaded, but he didn't really care.  Inuyasha could smell Kagome in the air now, signaling that he was getting closer to his target.

He sped up slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of the pirate anywhere, but everything was dark, and his eyes weren't adjusting like normal.  It wasn't that late already, was it?

With one last breath, he tumbled to the ground, the last thing he saw was water and something skin-ed.

The prince opened his eyes wearily then closed them again, his head hurting tremendously.  He could smell Kagome all around him, and it was the only thing he could keep straight in his head.

"Inuyasha?"

He turned slightly to where he thought he heard a voice.  

"Are you awake?"

Inuyasha tried forcing his eyes open again, but they didn't want to budge.  

"You ate a diseased monkey, baka.  That's why you don't eat things raw that have been out in the wild."  Kagome's voice paused as she took in a breath.  "Actually, you shouldn't eat things raw, period.  It's not good for the body.  Even for a hanyou."

The prince silently agreed.  His stomach felt like it was being ripped out, and his arms and legs were paralyzed.  

"You know, you're not out of the water yet.  But I'll say this: any normal person would have kicked the bucket by now."

**Inutori:** Finished the chapter!

**Sagi:** But it was so short!

**Inutori:** I know, but I'm trying to write the next chapter for a majority of the old stories to finally update them, so I don't have the time or inspiration to make this one longer.

**Gem:** Don't complain, Sag.  It suits you too well.

**Sagi:** sticks out tongue Too bad, Germo!

**Kagome:** Until next chapter, we'll give you a pirate's farewell!

**Everyone:** Aarrg, maty! See you next plunder!


	8. Before It's Time to Walk the Plank

**Inutori:** Hey, here's another chapter…finally…and I don't own Inuyasha…

_Chapter 8  
Before it's Time to Walk the Plank_

**Last Chapter:**

"You ate a diseased monkey, baka. That's why you don't eat things raw that have been out in the wild." Kagome's voice paused as she took in a breath. "Actually, you shouldn't eat meat raw, period. It's not good for the body. Even for a hanyou."

The prince silently agreed. His stomach felt like it was being ripped out, and his arms and legs were paralyzed.

"You know, you're not out of the water yet. But I'll say this: any normal person would have kicked the bucket by now."

**Going On…**

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes upward, still taking in Kagome's scent to keep his head clear. "Keh, of course I'm alive. I'm the prince."

He heard Kagome sigh and he could just picture her shaking her head. A cold cloth dabbed at his forehead, making his brow scrunch in confusion.

"Where did you get cloth?" They were stranded on an island with nothing but nature. It would be impossible to find material that she could use to cool his face with.

"…"

She didn't answer him, and Inuyasha just wished he could open his eyes and see what her expression was to figure her out.

"It doesn't really matter. Your fever is going down, but you need to stay still or else it'll pick back up again at full force."

Inuyasha shrugged off the origin of the cloth as he grumbled about having to stay still. As if it wasn't bad enough to be stuck on an island alone with a pirate who wouldn't even share her food; now he wasn't allowed to move.

"Inuyasha, drink this. You need something more than poisoned monkey in your stomach."

He opened his mouth without even thinking and felt a warm liquid flow down his throat and face. A cloth once again met his face; this time it was dry and wiping off the fluid that was just poured all over him. Whatever she had just given him, it seemed to do the trick, because he felt his stomach settling down and he felt the blood circulating to his extremities once again.

Night was probably coming on, because it started to get chilly and he could hear Kagome's teeth chattering. The prince took in a deep breath, tasting the scents the island had to offer: the strongest being Kagome's.

"Kagome?"

"Hm?" The female pirate answered tiredly, probably occupied with keeping herself warm.

"Come here." He didn't know why he was saying what he was, but the words kept just spilling from his mouth.

Not thinking Kagome would actually listen, Inuyasha tried to relax and get some sleep. That is, until he heard the snapping of twigs signaling the approach of the only other sentient occupant of the island. "What is it, Inuyasha?" Her voice was soft and pleasant, as it had been when he first met her when she was dressed as a lady on the ship well over a month previous.

She was close enough that Inuyasha could reach out and touch her; and that's exactly what he did. In one swift movement his arms encircled Kagome and pulled her down to meet him, never once did his eyes open to see what he was doing.

"Inuyasha!" Her soft, pitiful cry found its way to his ear, but he only smiled contentedly and pulled Kagome closer to him, snuggling to her neck.

He still was unsure of what drove him, but he was beginning to think it was something similar to instinct or in the neighborhood thereof. Kagome didn't say anything more and just lay still, probably too stunned to do anything.

**Time Flies…**

Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly and reluctantly, hearing the early morning birds chirping happily in the surrounding trees. He felt completely refreshed and healthy; surprising after yesterday's encounter with the monkey.

The other thing he felt was extremely warm. It was a nice, comfortable sort of heat: like one of the thermal blankets you use during the winter. So he looked to his left slightly and with a little surprise discovered Kagome in his arms snuggled up to his side, sleeping peacefully.

She looked like an angel sleeping as she was. Not the tyrant that had taken him hostage. But all he could see was her face right next to his. The view wasn't bad, so he certainly wasn't complaining, but he kind of wondered what they might look like to the onlooker.

He could feel the weight of one of her legs sprawled over his own, and he could feel her soft chest pressing into his ribs. 'Maybe I should just stay like this for awhile…I don't mind, and it looks like Kagome may need the sleep.'

Inuyasha leaned toward Kagome and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before turning his head to face the sky once again and closing his eyes. Subconsciously his arm around Kagome tightened and pulled her even closer to him, and his other arm flung across his face to shield his eyes from the morning rays.

Sleep must have overtaken him again because he found himself waking up to something poking his stomach. He removed the hand from over his eyes and looked down, finding a feminine hand poking him none-too-gently.

"About time you got up, sleeping beauty."

His eyes trailed up to Kagome, who was sitting up with one hand bracing her from behind and her leg still overlapping his. Heat came to his face and he turned to his right, avoiding her gaze and his own thoughts. "Keh."

"Almost feels like I already married you with how you treat me."

Inuyasha found himself turning even more like a cherry from her comment combined with his previous thoughts about their questionable sleeping arrangement. All he could do was let out a low growl and sit there, waiting for Kagome to move.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kagome stood and walked over to the ashes where she had once had a fire going. The hanyou prince found himself watching her with his eyes, and to his embarrassment and horror, realized that her pants were not covering her long, slender legs. Her shirt went down to about mid-thigh, but that didn't hide the rest of her shapely limbs from view.

That girl was just asking for trouble with the hanyou by testing his control over his testosterone. He was probably just destined to be a cherry for the rest of his life.

Another quick look around the area caused Inuyasha's gaze to fall upon the remains of the material that had made up Kagome's pants. Some of the cloth was wet, some was covered with blood, and some was completely dry and apparently unused.

"So that's where the cloth came from."

Kagome jerked around to look at Inuyasha and see what he was talking about. Her face turned slightly red and she played with the bottom of the long shirt. "Oh, yeah…I needed something to use to clean up the blood you kept coughing up and to put on your forehead to keep the fever down…"

Inuyasha just continued staring at the material, trying to comprehend the sacrifice Kagome had made to help him recover as quickly as possible. She had given up some of her clothing for him.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that she wasn't such a bad girl after all. And to think he had only known her for a month and a half. So much had happened since then.

Not a word was spoken as Kagome knelt down carefully by the fire, making sure her shirt was tucked under her bottom to keep Inuyasha from seeing her underwear.

This situation was all too strange for Inuyasha's liking.

**Back on ship…**

Kouga growled in frustration with the crew. Why did they have to be so stinking stupid? Everything was so much easier with the captain around to dish out the orders. He was not a woman and didn't have the same effect on this brain dead crew as she did.

Miroku sighed beside him, his cheek sporting a red handprint. Obviously he had gone into the captain's quarters again and had a run-in with the captive/pirate there.

"Not much of a womanizer, aye, Miroku?" Kouga sneered at him, bringing up one side of his mouth into a smirk to show that he was laughing at the other man.

The black-haired "monk" smiled up at him brightly, his teeth borne joyously. "She loves me, she just doesn't know it yet!"

Kouga rolled his eyes at the idiotic human. Sometimes he wondered about this guy's sanity.

"All I have to do is pray to Buddha that she will see the light." He bowed his head slightly and clapped his hands together like he was saying a prayer.

Never mind. He didn't wonder; he knew.

Miroku's antics with the girl didn't change their current predicament, though. The men were just lounging about on deck without a care in the world.

His ear twitched slightly when he heard a door open then close behind him, and footsteps deliberately approaching him and the banister that overlooked the deck. With a quick sniff he determined who it was.

But what was she doing out here?

"Oi! Idiots!" She was standing beside him as she yelled out over the ship to the crew. Surprisingly, they all turned at the sound of her voice, despite being insulted. "You all better get your sorry butts in gear and find your captain or you'll have to answer to me!"

Many of the men scrambled into action, lowering the sails and returning the ship to a proper course, even without a new destination in mind.

Kouga turned to the raven-haired girl that was supposed to stay in the captain's quarters. "How?"

"It's a woman's influence. No man can resist it." She turned and gave Miroku a half-hearted glare before returning to her place inside the ship.

Kouga glanced back down at the frantically moving crew with raised eyebrows. He would probably never understand.

With one more shrug, Kouga turned and walked into the captain's quarters where the handmaid was bent over the maps and charts.

"Do you even know how to read those?"

She looked up at him with a sheepish grin, answering with a smile, "Nope."

He rolled his eyes and stood on the other side of the desk, reading over the charts. "Well, we were approximately here when the storm hit," Kouga pointed to a spot on the map, "and now we're about here," he pointed to another spot on the chart.

The girl nodded and pointed to a small spot of land a good twenty miles from the first spot he had pointed at. "Then Kagome will be here." She spoke with confidence and Kouga had to look up at her strangely.

"Not necessarily. It all depends on which way the currents were moving and-"

She turned and left the room. He could hear her talking to Miroku outside, mentioning the coordinates of the spot he had said they were currently and the coordinates of the island she had pointed out.

Kouga looked down at the map and winced. It was no wonder that she had picked that island as where Kagome was: there wasn't another island for a hundred miles. With those odds, Kagome and the hanyou were probably at the bottom of the ocean.

Any hope that Kagome was still alive vanished and Kouga slowly rolled up the maps to put them in a small barrel beside the desk. There was no way Kagome was alive, didn't that stupid captive see that?

**Back on the island…**

Kagome laughed as Inuyasha tried once again to stand up and failed miserably. "Give up, Inuyasha! You're pathetic!"

He glared at her, not wanting to give in even though he knew she was right. "Keh, I'll do what I want, woman!" Inuyasha pulled himself up to a tree and leaned against it, just sitting for a moment to relax.

Kagome meandered over to him and plopped down next to him, smiling at him. She had been laughing at him all morning as he attempted to stand up. At least she had gotten him some breakfast. He was feeling worlds better; he just couldn't seem to stand up for the life of him.

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around Kagome and pulled her into his chest. She let out a surprised gasp, but let him overpower her. Kagome readjusted herself slightly and looked up at Inuyasha's face.

He returned the look silently. "Do you think someone will find us?"

Kagome's expression hardened. "Eventually. But we're alright for now, aren't we?" Her innocent gaze made him smile and nod to her. There was something hidden in her eyes, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Inuyasha wrapped his other arm protectively around Kagome and pulled her into his lap, admiring how well she fit in his grasp. They let the silence engulf them for a long while, not bothering to move.

This was how it was supposed to be, Inuyasha felt. Just the two of them content to be together and not needing to speak and ruin the moment.

Finally the spell was broken when Kagome spoke. "Once someone finds us, you'll need to go back to your kingdom."

"Not without you." For some reason Inuyasha couldn't see himself parting with Kagome now that he had spent time with her. Something had clicked between them despite the fact that a few months ago he didn't want anything to do with his betrothed.

Kagome shook her head slowly against his chest and he instinctively tightened his hold on her. "No, Inuyasha. My place is on the sea."

That made him angry. There was no way that he went through all of this to go home empty-handed. "Then I'll stay too."

She pushed away from him and looked into his eyes. "No! You can't! And you know it, don't you?" Inuyasha suddenly realized what that look in her eyes was; it was sadness. Kagome was almost to the point of tears.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew Kagome was right. He was a future king, if he were to turn up missing for much longer, every ship would be out looking for him. Every ship was probably out looking for him already. The Shikon no Tama would be sunk before its next raid. But why couldn't Kagome come back with him?

"Keh. Just come back with me." Inuyasha felt his blood boil when Kagome looked away from him and pushed away from him entirely, standing up and walking away.

There was no way it could all end like this. Inuyasha suddenly found an unknown strength and forced himself off of the ground. He bounded after Kagome and grabbed her arm, whipping her around to face him.

Without another second's hesitation, Inuyasha pressed his lips to hers and wrapped his arms around her torso. After a moment, Kagome responded by gripping his shirt tightly and leaning into the kiss.

He could taste the salt from her tears and he wanted so badly to take away her inner pain. It didn't have to be this way, didn't she see that?

**Time Passes…**

Kagome prodded the small fire, watching Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't said anything to him about the kiss they had shared, and it was annoying Inuyasha to the brink of insanity.

She was cooking them something and Inuyasha just wanted it to be over with so they could talk. Their kiss hadn't been meaningless, had it? Inuyasha clenched his fist around some loose dirt, trying to vent his frustration on it. Unfortunately, it wasn't working all too well.

**I  
Do  
Not  
Sleep**

**Inutori:** I finally got off my lazy butt today and decided to move my stories to a comp with internet access so I could post chapters I have written lately. Hope it makes you happy...and could you then please make me happy by leaving some pretty little reviews for me?


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